There was a time when Disney Channel just couldn’t seem to stop churning out superstars, with Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato all finding crossover fame with the network in quick succession back in the late 2000s/early 2010s.
But with that continued success came frequent comparisons between the leading ladies, with the public pitting them against each other at a time when all three were just teenagers — and in an interview with Keke Palmer posted Tuesday (March 3), the Camp Rock alum opened up about how she dealt with it all.
“It was challenging when, you know, people are comparing you to one another, and you naturally have insecurities at a young age,” Lovato recalled on Baby, This Is Keke Palmer after the podcast host brought up Cyrus and Gomez. “So you start comparing yourself to other people.”
“But one thing my mom instilled in me was, ‘There’s room for everyone. It’s not a competition,’” the vocalist continued. “That’s what I really stuck by. That’s what kind of got me through that period. I was always rooting for everybody.”
Shortly after Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place launched Cyrus and Gomez, respectively, into the public eye, Sonny With a Chance and the Camp Rock film franchise did the same for Lovato. Lovato has been open about having struggled with addiction, mental health and eating disorders around that time, something they also discussed with Palmer.
After Disney, all three of those women pursued careers as pop stars, leading to more comparisons — but, as Lovato said, there’s room for everybody. Cyrus and Gomez have both scored No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, while Lovato has notched 36 songs on the chart in addition to 10 entries on the Billboard 200. Most recently, her 2025 album It’s Not That Deep debuted on the chart at No. 9.
But while Gomez and Lovato have had their bumps in the road, the latter credits the former with helping her transition into working for Disney Channel. “What was beautiful was Selena and I had a friendship prior,” they said, noting how the pair first met on Barney & Friends. “I felt this safety when I came into the Disney Channel, having a built-in friendship there already. I’ll always be grateful for the friendship I have and continue to have with her.”
Watch Lovato’s full interview with Palmer below.
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